Player grades: Eric Gordon leads Rockets to fifth straight win versus Orlando

Veteran guard Eric Gordon scored a team-high 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting (71.4%), including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers (66.7%), leading the young Houston Rockets to an improbable five-game winning streak with Friday’s 118-116 home victory (box score) over Orlando.

Fittingly, Gordon hit the game-winning shot on a runner with only 1.6 seconds left. That lifted the Rockets (6-16) to a feel-good win at Toyota Center over the Magic (5-19), despite losing prized young point guard Kevin Porter Jr. to another re-aggravation of his left thigh contusion.

Cole Anthony led Orlando with 26 points (10-of-20 shooting) and 7 assists, but his attempt at a winning 3-pointer at the buzzer was just short as Houston escaped with the win. Other Houston players to score in double-figures included Christian Wood (20 points, 14 rebounds), Jae’Sean Tate (15 points, 7 rebounds), Garrison Matthews (16 points), and rookie big man Alperen Sengun (13 points, 5 assists).

See below for highlights and analysis of individual player performances by the Rockets from Friday’s game. Houston will look to extend its unlikely winning streak to six games when New Orleans (7-18) visits Toyota Center on Sunday night, with tipoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Central.

All-A Honor Roll

Eric Gordon (A+): 24 points, 10-of-14 shooting (71.4%), 4-of-6 on 3-pointers (66.7%), 3 assists, 4 turnovers in 32 minutes
Christian Wood (A-): 20 points, 8-of-19 shooting (42.1%), 2-of-6 on 3-pointers (33.3%), 14 rebounds, 4 assists in 34 minutes
Alperen Sengun (A): 13 points, 3-of-6 shooting (50.0%), 1-of-3 on 3-pointers (33.3%), 6-of-7 on free throws (85.7%) 5 assists, 3 rebounds; plus/minus of +4 in 18 minutes
DJ Augustin (A): 8 points, 3-of-4 shooting (73.0%), 2-of-2 on 3-pointers, 3 assists; plus/minus of +5 in 12 minutes

As mentioned, Gordon was brilliant in outdueling a rising star in Orlando guard Cole Anthony. Wood wasn’t quite as he typically is, but his 14 rebounds helped the smaller Rockets stay competitive on the glass. In the big picture, arguably the biggest story was Sengun, who earned enough trust from head coach Stephen Silas to stay on the floor alongside Wood until less than two minutes remained in the fourth quarter.

DJ Augustin was very steady in his return from a health and safety protocols stint and helped Houston absorb another early exit by Porter.

Good but Not Great (B’s)

KJ Martin (B+): 7 points, 3-of-4 shooting (75.0%), 1-of-2 on 3-pointers (50.0%), 3 fouls, plus/minus of +9 in 14 minutes
Garrison Mathews (B+): 16 points, 6-of-13 shooting (46.2%), 3-of-10 on 3-pointers (30.0%), 3 rebounds, 2 steals in 16 minutes
Jae’Sean Tate (B): 15 points, 6-of-16 shooting (36.5%), 2-of-6 on 3-pointers (33.3%), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals in 32 minutes
Armoni Brooks (B): 3 points, 1-of-4 on 3-pointers (25.0%), 4 assists, 2 rebounds in 19 minutes

The Rockets continue to be better in the minutes that Martin plays, though it would help if he commits fouls at a lesser rate. Mathews wasn’t at his best from 3-point range, but he came alive in the fourth quarter, including a huge 4-point play that sent Toyota Center into a frenzy.

Neither Tate nor Brooks shot well, but they combined for 8 assists, with each showing increased confidence at attacking the rim and kicking it back out to a shooter (likely due to superior floor spacing, now that Houston has abandoned its large lineups with Wood and Daniel Theis).

Needs Improvement (C’s or worse)

Kevin Porter Jr. (C+): 8 points, 2-of-8 shooting (25.0%), 1-of-6 on 3-pointers (16.7%), 6 assists in 18 minutes
Danuel House Jr. (C+): 4 points, 2-of-5 shooting (40.0%), 0-of-2 on 3-pointers, 3 assists, 2 rebounds in 20 minutes

The low-ish grade for Porter isn’t due to his on-court play, since he clearly gutted it out for his squad. Rather, it’s due to the nagging thigh injury, and the constant in-game adjustments that his early departures make for Silas. At some point, he may need to shut it down for a couple weeks to allow the injury to fully heal so that he can be 100% again. Granted, that’s a hard decision for him to accept with the Rockets suddenly playing so well, but it’s still early December, and there are many months ahead.